[Dixielandjazz] Re: [Dixielandjazz]Brian Shanley service

[Captain Rapture]

Monday, 10 a.m., Catholic church on Church St, Lodi.

Brian was an excellent musician and a pretty good friend.
We both seemed to want more but didn't know how.
Rosemarie, his wife was very devoted. Their home was
beautiful and the flowers in their back garden were
magnificent.

With Hangtown, he wrote many fine arrangements, the best
being the Mooche. Stealin Apples was another. Brian turned
out a lot of good stuff.

Brian drank 4 beers an hour. He was miserable. Morning gigs in
Stockton he'd be ill. He had a death ray like Benny Goodman and
the band suffered. Brian would slam his clarinet down on the
brass stand he carried and stomp off. Such a sweet guy - and such
unhapppiness.

When he swung, his left foot tapped like on a clock face, eleven/one/
eleven/one.  When a cork seal would leak, he'd furiously blow
cigarette smoke through the horn to seal it up. When I took a solo,
he would politely turn to listen - a nice touch.

I adored the guy and we were proud to play with him. He truly swung.
What better praise, eh? He was very much a human being and I have
missed him for years.

The cancer took away any ability to play and it bothered him to hear
from us old cronies - which didn't leave much room for contact.
I think he spent a lot of time off my himself in the house, listening
to his record collection.

May he rest in peace.